The Committee of Five Reading

5th Grade Social StudiesDeclaration of Independence4 pages

About this worksheet

A two-paragraph reading follows the Committee of Five, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston, as they prepare the Declaration of Independence in June 1776. It covers Jefferson's age of 33 and about two and a half weeks of writing, the edits from Adams and Franklin, the quarter of the text Congress cut, the votes on July 2 and July 4 and John Hancock's signature. Six questions follow, four multiple choice and two written, with an answer key.

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Page 1 of 4

The Committee of Five Reading: Declaration of Independence - page 1
The Committee of Five Reading: Declaration of Independence - page 2
The Committee of Five Reading: Declaration of Independence - page 3
The Committee of Five Reading: Declaration of Independence - page 4

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Curriculum objectives covered

RI.5.1

“Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.”

Question 6 asks students to support their answer with a phrase or detail from the text.

RI.5.3

“Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.”

Questions 3 and 5 ask how Adams, Franklin and Congress shaped Jefferson's draft.

What's inside this worksheet

Reading passage

Two paragraphs with a small picture of delegates around a table. The first covers the committee and Jefferson's draft, and the second covers the debate in Congress and the votes.

Comprehension Questions

Questions 1 to 4 are multiple choice: who served on the committee, Jefferson's age and drafting time, who suggested edits, and the dates of the vote and approval. Question 5 asks how much Congress removed, why the slave trade passage was cut and who signed first. Question 6 asks why one person wrote the first draft.

Answer key

Letters for the four multiple-choice items, a model answer for question 5, and a sample answer for question 6 that quotes the passage.

How teachers use it

Mark names and dates

On a first read, have students underline every name and date. Questions 1 to 4 can then be answered straight from their marks.

Number your answers

Question 5 asks three things. Have students number their answer 1, 2 and 3 before they write.

Slave trade passage

Question 5 mentions the passage Congress cut. Be ready to connect it to the question of who was left out of "all men are created equal."

More 5th Grade Social Studies worksheets

American HistoryUS GovernmentEconomicsGeographyBill of Rights13 Colonies

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